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正體中文 
Assistant Professor Yen-Chang Chen of the Department of Information Communication at Yuan Ze University won the Grand Prize of the Winter Season at the UK-based World Front Design Award 2025 with his work “Moonlight Plate.” This marked his second time receiving the quarterly grand prize, following his earlier win in the third quarter of 2024 for the social creative project “Kao-Bei Cup.”
The achievement demonstrated the growing international competitiveness of Taiwanese design in both cultural depth and contemporary innovation.
Chen explained that the Moonlight Plate was kiln-fired using ultra-thin bone china and took advantage of the material’s high translucency. The concept originated from the observation that the Mid-Autumn Festival tradition of eating mooncakes had gradually been overshadowed by barbecue gatherings. The design team reinterpreted the cultural symbolism of Mid-Autumn reunion, turning moonlight into a symbol of family connection and emotional warmth. After the festival, the plate could continue to function as a night light, extending the festive imagery into everyday life.
The piece combined edibility and practical functionality, allowing the object to serve simultaneously as tableware, an emotional medium, and a lifestyle lighting fixture. According to the World Front Design Award judges, the Moonlight Plate demonstrated a high level of completion in both form and craftsmanship, along with a clear and compelling narrative. It successfully integrated Eastern cultural themes, material technology, and contemporary living scenarios, ensuring that the design went beyond form and truly entered users’ daily lives, reflecting a forward-looking vision and international perspective.
Notably, the Moonlight Plate grew out of Chen’s long-term efforts in design education and industry–academia collaboration. His work emphasized that design should not remain only in the classroom, but should be applied in real contexts to create value, while also demonstrating to students the possible connections among design education, industry, and the marketplace.
Chen’s second quarterly grand prize further indicated that Taiwanese design had been transitioning from an emerging presence to a stable and continuously innovative force on the international stage. From cultural exploration and material application to the redefinition of everyday scenarios, the Moonlight Plate showcased the subtlety and philosophical depth characteristic of Taiwanese design.
Yuan Ze University stated that it would continue to promote the core concept of “bringing design back to everyday life,” strengthening the connection between culture and contemporary living. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and practice-based teaching, the university would keep advancing Taiwanese design onto the global stage, helping the world not only see Taiwanese design but also understand its value.
